- March 2
- Space shuttle STS-67 (Endeavour 8), launches. [1]
- March 14
- Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to ride into space aboard a Russian launch vehicle (the Soyuz TM-21), lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [5] [29]
- March 18
- NASA space shuttle mission STS 67 (Endeavour 8) lands after 16.5 days in orbit. [1]
- March 22
- Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to Earth after setting a record for 438 days in outer space. [29]
- June 6
- U.S. astronaut Norman Thagard breaks NASA's space endurance record of 14 days, 1 hour and 16 minutes, aboard the Russian space station Mir. [29]
- June 27
- American space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the 100th human space mission in American history. [129]
- June 29
- American space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir to form the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth. This is the second time ships from two countries had linked up in space. [5] [29]
- October 6
- Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz announce the discovery of 51 Pegasi b, the first confirmed Extrasolar planet. [29]
- October 24
- A total solar eclipse is visible from Iran, India, Thailand, and Southeast Asia. [29]
- December 7
- US NASA space probe Galileo arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis. [1] [5] [29]
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1996
- January 11
- Space Shuttle STS 72 (Endeavour 10), launches into space. [1]
- January 30
- Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake. [5]
- February 15
- A Long March 3 rocket at the Xichang launch site in China crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing 500. [28]
- February 21
- Soyuz TM-23 launched into orbit. [1]
- February 22
- STS 75 (Columbia 19), launches into orbit. [1]
- February 29
- March 7
- First surface photos of Pluto (photographed by Hubble Space Telescope). [1]
- March 9
- STS 75 (Columbia 19), lands. [1]
- March 22
- STS 76 (Atlantis 16), launches into orbit. [1]
- March 25
- Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) approaches within 0.1018 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. [1]
- March 31
- Space Shuttle STS 76 (Atlantis 16), lands. [1]
- April 3
- A Lunar eclipse occurs. [28]
- April 4
- Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous. [5]
- April 30
- Dutch/Italian Beppo-SAX launches from Cape Canaveral. [1]
- May 19
- STS 77 (Endeavour 11), launches into orbit. [1]
- May 29
- Space Shuttle STS 77 (Endeavour 11), lands. [1]
- August 6
- NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms. [28]
- August 13
- Data sent back by the Galileo space probe indicates there may be water on one of Jupiter's moons. [28]
- September 16
- The Space Shuttle STS 79 (Atlantis 17) launches into space. [5]
- November 7
- NASA launches the Mars Global Surveyor. [5] [28]
- November 19
- Space Shuttle Columbia flies the longest mission (STS-80) of the Space Shuttle program. [28]
- December 4
- NASA's first Mars rover launched from Cape Canaveral. [1]
- December 7
- Space Shuttle STS 80 (Columbia 21) lands. [1]
1997
- January 10
- First comet of 1997 discovered: Comet 1997 A1. [1]
- January 11
- Launch of Telstar 401 satellite fails. [1]
- January 12
- Space Shuttle STS 81 (Atlantis 18), launches into space. [1]
- January 15
- Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with Mir Space Station. [1]
- January 17
- A Delta II rocket carrying a military GPS payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. [18]
- January 20
- Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit. [1]
- January 22
- Space Shuttle Atlantis returns to Earth. [1]
- February 10
- Comet Shoemaker-Holt 2 Closest Approach to Earth (1.9245 AU). [1]
- Soyuz TM-25 launches to the MIR. [1]
- February 11
- STS 82 (Discovery 22) launches. [1]
- February 13
- Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery. [1] [18]
- February 21
- STS 82 (Discovery 22) lands. [1]
- February 23
- A large fire occurs in the Russian space station Mir. [18]
- March 2
- Soyuz TM-24 returns to Earth (Russia). [1]
- March 4
- Comet Hale-Bopp directly above the Sun (1.04 AU). [1]
- Zeya Start-1 launched (Russia). [1]
- March 22
- The comet Hale-Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth. [1] [18]
- March 31
- Pioneer 10 ends its mission. [1]
- April 1
- Comet Hale-Bopp Perihelion (0.914 AU). [1]
- April 4
- DMSP Titan 2 launched. [1]
- STS 83 (Columbia 22), launches. [1]
- April 5
- Galileo, third Ganymede Flyby (Orbit 7). [1]
- April 6
- Progress M-34 Launch (Russia). [1]
- April 21
- A Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people, including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, into Earth orbit, in the first space burial. [1] [18]
- May 5
- Iridium-1 Delta 2 Launch, successful. [1]
- May 7
- Galileo, fourth Ganymede Flyby (Orbit 8). [1]
- May 15
- STS 84 (Atlantis 19), launches, 6th Shuttle-Mir Mission. [1]
- May 20
- Cosmos Zenit-2 launch (Russia), failed. [1]
- Thor-2A Delta 2 launch (Norway/USA), successful. [1]
- May 24
- Telstar-5 Proton launch, successful. [1]
- June 25
- An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian Space station, Mir. [18]
- July 4
- NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars. [5] [18]
- September 11
- NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars. [5]
- October 15
- NASA launches the Cassini-Huygens probe to Saturn. [18]
1998
- January 6
- The Lunar Prospector spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon. (It later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's poles.) [19]
- January 8
- Cosmologists announce that the universe's expansion rate is increasing. [19]
- January 9
- Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov spacewalk record 3 hours 8 minutes. [1]
- January 16
- NASA announces that John Glenn, age 76, will return to space when the Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off in October. [1] [19]
- January 22
- NASA space shuttle Endeavour launches into orbit on mission STS 89. [1]
- January 29
- Soyuz TM-27 launches to MIR space station. [1]
- January 31
- NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour mission STS 89 lands. [1]
- February 19
- Russian Soyuz TM-26 spacecraft lands. [1]
- February 26
- Total solar eclipse in Venezuela-Pacific Ocean (4 minutes 9 seconds). [1]
- March 2
- Data sent from the Galileo probe indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice. [19]
- March 5
- NASA announces that the Clementine probe orbiting the Moon has found enough water in polar craters to support a human colony and rocket fueling station. [19]
- May 19
- The Galaxy IV communications satellite fails, leaving 80-90 percent of the world's newspagers without service. [19]
- July 5
- Japan launches a probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as an outer space-exploring nation. [19]
- August 31
- North Korea reportedly launches Kwangmyongsong, its first satellite. Although North Korea reports that it reached stable orbit, NORAD is not able to confirm this assertion. [5] [19]
- October 29
- The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off with 77-year-old Senator John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space. [19] [129]
- November 7
- John Glenn returns to Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. [19]
- November 20
- The first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched. [5]
- December 4
- The second (Unity) module of the International Space Station is launched. [5]
1999
- February 11
- Pluto moves along its eccentric orbit further from the Sun than Neptune. It had been nearer than Neptune since 1979. [1] [20]
- May 29
- Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station. [5]
- July 20
- Liberty Bell 7, part of the US Mercury program, is raised from the Atlantic Ocean. [20]
- July 23
- Space shuttle Columbia blasts off, carrying 12 Proof 2000-W Sacagawea half-ounce 0.9167 fine gold dollar pieces into space. [464.52]
- July 31
- NASA intentionally crashes the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the lunar surface. [5] [20]
- August 11
- A total solar eclipse is seen in Europe and Asia. [20]
- November 20
- The People's Republic of China launches the first Shenzhou spacecraft. [20]
- December 3
- NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander, moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. [20]
- December 18
- NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments: ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT. [5] [20]
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